Commentary on consequential national and international issues and concerns.
("Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid." Pres. Reagan)

Monday, January 14, 2013

How to Stop Progressive Tyranny COLD

For some time now, and particularly since November 6th, I have speculated as to what can be done to effectively counter the unrelenting Progressive onslaught on our liberties and individual sovereignty.

Sincerely believing that Progressives must, at long last, be boldly and constitutionally challenged and outmaneuvered, and thinking outside the proverbial box, I think I've come up with a plan worth pursuing. But, like any political action plan worth its salt, so much depends upon the honor, political courage and integrity of our key political players. (Sadly, that requirement could be this plan's Achilles' heel.)

To counter the Progressive tyranny, many States are finally getting a spine and asserting their sovereignty by actually nullifying federal edicts, laws, directives and, some day soon I hope, judicial activist rulings as well. And if rule of law is our goal, then nullification remains an indispensable tool in that effort.

From a historical standpoint, the sheer volume of nullification activities over the last four years exceeds anything this country has seen since before the War of Northern Agression in 1861, misleadingly dubbed the "civil war". A very hopeful trend, indeed, and a trend we should all endorse and encourage. For as Thomas Jefferson asserted, nullification is "the rightful remedy" to federal encroachment. (Note: with the fearless and dedicated efforts of the 10th Amendment Center, I suspect that acts of nullification/interposition will be on the upswing in the years ahead. And thank God for that!)

Of course, there's impeachment to stop the madness. However, impeachment's a fine idea ONLY if we can be assured of conviction and removal as well. Otherwise the political tumult occasioning an impeachment process will, for the most part, be of little consequence. And with the Senate firmly in the hands of the Progressives, I suspect only incontrovertible acts of outright treason or murder by our putative Chief Executive would convince enough Senators to actually convict and remove. (In truth, however, since the ruthless Progressives have become so brazenly unprincipled, I'm not even sure murder or treason would do the trick these days.) Thus, impeachment alone cannot be relied upon to effectively remedy federal lawlessness.

So, here's what I propose. It's a simple, doable and powerful antidote to dangerous federal excesses. More importantly, this plan, if faithfully implemented, will eliminate the need for outright rebellion or secession, unsettling prospects which, in the absence of effective grassroots resistance and political courage at the top, have become increasingly real.

1. Call for Nullification: Bearing in mind that We the People and our immediate fiduciary agents, the States, creators of this union, are the ultimate arbiters of what is and what is not constitutional, when the White House or any department of the Executive Branch issues an unconstitutional order or directive, or if the Supreme Court issues a ruling which is clearly unconstitutional, and the offending entity refuses to rescind that order, directive or ruling, the Speaker of the House and the Senate Minority Leader must urgently and publically appeal to the several States to nullify those encroachments straightaway. In effect, they must boldly circumvent federal perpetrators of lawlessness and directly exhort the States and the people to disobey and to apppropriately resist.

If the States refuse to honor and act upon those unlawful orders/rulings/directives, for all practical purposes the federal actions are of no force and the feds will have no choice but to back off in those jurisdictions where nullification has been invoked. Such resistance will also help restore the balance of power between the States and the federal government as envisioned by the Founders and enshrined in the Constitution. Further, this would place us back on the road to constitutional order and dramatically restore public trust in our representatives.

During these appeals, the Speaker and the Minority Ldr must studiously and clearly explain why such resistance is necessary and constitutionally justified, explicating in vivid and understandable detail the natural/unalienable rights of man, the principles of State sovereignty and the separation/balance of powers doctrine enshrined in our Constitution. And, of course, the exhortation must include a concise explanation of the 10th Amendment would be in order.

*And if these key legislative leaders choose not to take such dramatic action, which I suspect might well be the case, then State Senators/Representatives should promptly and boldly assume this patriotic responsibility for their respective States. Senators and Congressional members have bully pulpits too. They just need to use them.

2. Appeal to Sheriffs: In the same televised address to the country, and as appropriate to the nature of the federal excess, both the Speaker and the Minority Ldr or State Senators/Representatives, as may be the case, should directly exhort all Sheriffs to uphold their oath of office by refusing to comply with any and all unlawful federal orders within their jurisdiction from whatever federal entity those excesses might originate. On the otherhand, the Speaker and Minority Ldr may opt to appeal to State leaders to exhort the sheriffs within their jurisdiction.

3. Impeachment & Withholding of Funds: In parallel, the House should deny funding to the offending office and immediately invoke articles of impeachment against the offending federal officials--not merely threaten to impeach, but formally act to both impeach and remove. This should also include heretofore untouchable, unaccountable Supreme Court justices.

4. Concurrently, take the perpetrators--whomever they may be--to court.

This entirely lawful and principled 4-pronged approach to remedying Progressive overreach and restoring constitutional order would stop the heretofore unchecked Progressive contagion cold, and the authority of the People's House, that being the House of Representatives, will be restored.

In the meantime, patriotic organizations around the country should continue to unite, monitor both federal and State excesses, and appropriately initiate, support and coordinate national resistance wherever federal or State excesses occur.

For whatever good it does, I shared this proposal with the offices of both the Speaker and the Senate Minority Leader. I also copied in Sen. Lee of Utah and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky. How much political courage and boldness in defense of liberty they possess remains to be seen.

As Ben Franklin warned in 1787, we have a Republic, if we can keep it. And on Nov. 6th the Republic took it on the chin big time. As Karl Marx noted, "Democracy is the road to Socialism", and Nov. 6th placed us firmly on that suicidal path.

Only political courage and lawful, boldly fresh, intensive and assertive patriotic activism at all levels can avert political and economic disaster and, yes, rebellion. The alternative for us, of course, is more appeasement, accommodation and, eventually, servitude. Which course will we choose?

At long last, ACTION and PATRIOTISM must be more than words. Let's roll!

It has to start locally. Reach out to patriotic org ldrs in your area/region, and ask them to convene to discuss a more activist agenda everyone can agree on. That's what I'm doing here. Many TPers and other patriots are still licking wounds, worn out from battle, venting and in debilitating despair over Obama's re-election. It may take some pushing and persuading to get them back on the road to recovery and constructiveness. But, don't give up. If you send me your email, I'll email a copy of what we are currently sending to patriot ldrs in the area. It might help. Thanks, Cathy. Neve give up!

Jim,Thank you for such a factual and inciteful post.As an Army Veteran 1970-74 I completely agree with you. We are being drawn into a situation where we have to defend our Oaths to save this country. I am trying to come up with a plan to unite local vets in my area who feel as we do and to form an alliance to protect our 2nd Amendement and 1St Amendment Rights. I have been heartened by the Sheriffs across the country who have drawn a line in the sand and I will gladly stand shoulder to shoulder with them to fight the "progressive socialist agenda"to the death if that is what it takes. We are Americas last and only hope.God Speed

What I would recommend is convening the vets you know and follow the suggested organizational outline to unite as many local patriot organizations as possible. Sit down with ldrs and try crafting an activist unifying agenda going forward which everyone can buy into. Then act. When enough of these unifying local initiatives prove successful, then we will all connect. Strength in numbers.

By the way, I strongly urge you and your friends to join the Constitutional Sheriffs Association. Also, connect with any Sheriffs in your community who are Oathkeepers. These are the guys are the ones who are pushing back against federal and state gun control madness and other unconstitutional violations. They would appreciate your support. You could even join them as reservists/posse volunteers. Every little bit helps.

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About Me

Retired 2003 as Assoc. Dir. Refugee & Immigration Services in Rochester. A Vietnam veteran (Captain, Infantry/Civil Affairs/Psy Ops), spent many years in Southeast Asia, Africa, Subcontinent managing disaster relief and development projects. Am a small businessman and keenly interested in history and the Constitution. Concerned that our country is being inexorably drawn toward Socialism and that Americans are unwittingly abandoning our founding governing principles and, in the process, our liberties, way of life and economic vitality, and disillusioned with the radicalized Democratic Party, became a member of the Greece and Monroe County Republican Committees until July 2012 when I became a registered member of the Conservative Party. Although politically conservative and a constitutional originalist, I welcome all constructive opinions. Only through common-sense dialogue, objective evaluation of opposing patriotic viewpoints, and a studious adherence to the Constitution can we all learn and develop responsible positions which will benefit our Republic. Member of Rochester Conservatives, the Tea Party, American Legion, Vietnam Vets of America, Gun Owners of America, NRA.